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2016 Audi R8 Spy Shots (With Interior)

You’re looking at the latest spy shots of a prototype for the second-generation Audi R8. The car has been developed alongside the new Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4, with which it shares a platform, though its sales launch is still about a year away, which means we’re likely to see it list as a 2016 model. In the meantime, Audi has launched one final version of the current R8, the LMX.

The spy shots confirm Audi is taking an evolutionary approach with the styling of its new R8. The shots also reveal that Audi’s horizontal themes first shown on the 2016 TT will feature on the 2016 R8. Wider and flatter lights are fitted at both ends and are joined by a more rigid hexagonal grille up front and rectangular exhaust tips at the rear. We can also see the car is getting a massive diffuser tucked into the rear bumper, and the R8's signature side blades are still present.

Despite sharing a platform with the Huracán, the 2016 R8 will be slightly wider and longer than the Lambo. Not only will this mean a more spacious cabin, but the ride comfort should be better too—the Huracán has been designed as the more hardcore option, with the Audi positioned as the everyday supercar.

2016 Audi R8 spy shots

The car's platform is a heavily revised version of the current R8’s aluminum structure. The use of carbon fiber in key areas, however, means the new R8 will be significantly stiffer than the current one, and lighter too. Some versions of the 2016 R8 may be as much as 130 pounds lighter than the current car. The current R8 V8 model weighs in at 3,439 pounds, so the redesigned version may end up weighing as little as 3,300 pounds.

Power will come from revised versions of the naturally aspirated V-8 and V-10 engines fitted to the current R8. This means a 4.2-liter V-8 in the base car and a 5.2-liter V-10 in the range-topper. The latter is the same engine fitted to the Huracán, though the R8 will likely have its output capped below the 601 horsepower of the Lambo.

Sadly, the 2016 R8 is no longer expected to offer a conventional manual transmission. Instead, a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission will be standard. A shot of the interior reveals the cabin details for the first time. We can see that the angular design of the exterior is continued inside, and expect the new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster already seen in the Huracán and new TT to be fitted here.

2016 Audi R8 spy shots

Audi has confirmed that the second-generation R8 body will be used for its production R8 e-tron, which will be produced on request starting from next year. Thanks to improvements in battery technology, the range of the car should be about 280 miles. Further down the track, the second-generation R8 will also feature a downsized turbo engine, though this option isn’t expected to be available in the U.S.

Another new variant in the works is a racing version that may continue with the LMS name used by the current R8 race car. Designed for endurance events, the new R8 race car was recently spotted in prototype form and we have a video of it here.